From bean to cup
Origins of the Best

Coffee like no other: the unique illy blend.

A COFFEE BEAN'S LONG ROAD HOME

Green coffee’s journey to illy’s roasting facility in Trieste, Italy starts in each source country in 60-kilo jute bags, precisely arranged so air circulates inside and between each bag, thereby eliminating any risk of mildew during shippingbysea.
illy’s coffee transportknowledge is unmatched, and its methods unique, ensuring green coffee’s integrity from country of origin to illy’s home port of Trieste.

SELECTION

The first step towards quality

Upon arrival in Trieste, each bag is numbered and prepared for inspection. The selection process begins as beans are placed on a vibrating screen, a large sieve that separates out foreign matter. A vacuum removes tiny particles, and a magnetic separator removes metallic fragments. Finally, advanced imaging devices "photograph" each bean and eliminate any that are fermented, unripe or otherwise unfit.

BLENDING

The perfect balance

illy blends nine distinct Arabica beans before roasting, assuring each bean’s distinct characteristics develop at the same rate under the roaster’s heat. This is precisely how illy achieves remarkable consistency in its blend, can after can.
Blending is truly an art. Coffees from different origins carry distinct aromas, and varying balances of bitter, sweet and body characteristics.

ROASTING

Art and science together

Roasting is coffee’s version of high drama: 15 minutes, the critical time when some 800 substances emerge under heat, each contributing to the taste and aroma of the illy blend—and to its very heritage.

PRESSURIZED PACKAGING

Exclusively illy

illy pioneered a new way, using a remarkably effective, natural pressurization technology – patented throughout the world, and exclusive to illy.
Freshly roasted illy coffee is placed in recyclable cans, along with natural, inert nitrogen, under pressure. The process traps essential aromas and protects them for more than a year.

INNOVATION

A heritage of innovation

Innovation runs deep at illycaffè, going back to the company’s very beginning. So perhaps not surprisingly, three of the industry’s eight transformational innovations were developed by illy: pressurized packaging, modern espresso method and E.S.E. Pods.

ORIGINS OF THE BEST: COFFEE ARABICA

ARABICA

ARABICA

Arabica is the finest quality coffee.

FLOWERS AND FRUIT

FLOWERS AND FRUIT

With rain, the fruit flourishes, and a careful harvesting process begins. Precision harvesting is critical.

COFFEE BEANS

COFFEE BEANS

The coffee bean is actually the seed of the coffee plant, found inside a red fruit often called the cherry.

COFFEE'S GEOGRAPHY

Brazil

With exuberant notes of chocolate and toast, is the foundation for blends optimized for espresso preparation. Brazil is the world’s largest producer of Arabica, responsible for more than one-third of its total production.

Central America

El Salvador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Honduras: all home to Arabica marked by sweet, and pleasantly mild, acidic notes.

Guatemala

Limited production of excellent, very sweet coffee. Its acidity and intense aroma of chocolate make it an ideal complement to any blend, especially those designed for brewed coffee.

Colombia

With its sweet coffee – produced to the tune of nearly 12 million bags per year – Columbia produces 10% of the world’s Arabica.

India

Offers a full-bodied coffee, with the right touch of bitterness and a delightfully spicy aroma.

Ethiopia

Coffee’s ancestral home, offering the world’s best washed Arabica, alive with notes of jasmine and citrus.

Kenya

Produces a relatively small volume of good, aromatic coffee thanks to the country’s mild climate.

HISTORY OF COFFEE AND ITS ORIGINS

500 d.C.

500 d.C.

Legend has it that Kaldi, an Ethiopian shepherd, discovers the invigorating virtues of coffee cherries by trying them roasted and ground.

1500 d.C.

1500 d.C.

Coffee arrives in Damascus, Cairo and Istanbul.

1591 d.C.

1591 d.C.

Prospero Alpini, a doctor from Padua, describes coffee in De Medicina Aegyptiorum, an account of Egyptian medical practices.

1645 d.C.

1645 d.C.

Venice’s first coffee shop opens.

1700 d.C.

1700 d.C.

Coffee spreads throughout Europe, and coffee plants are exported to its colonies.

1753 d.C.

1753 d.C.

Linnaeus classifies the plant under the genus Coffea.

Please, insert a valid e-mail address.

Please, insert a valid e-mail address.

Please, agree with our privacy policy.

The email address you entered is already opted in to receive illy emails. The 15% offer is valid for new email sign-ups only.

An error has occured. Please try again.

Congratulations, you have successfully subscribed! Check your inbox now to discover what illy has reserved for you.

SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL

Receive illy updates on products and more

Email*

Sign up for illy emails for product news, exclusives, and more.

*This initiative is offered just to the US Market and to American citizens, not to European citizens or people who are in Europe. By registering your e-mail, you are declaring that you are not a European citizen and that you are not in Europe.